To amend section 4725.18 of the Revised Code to permit the State Board of Optometry to license optometrists licensed by another state or a Canadian province regardless of whether the other state or province similarly licenses holders of Ohio licenses.

Section 1. That section 4725.18 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:

Sec. 4725.18.  (A) The state board of optometry may issue a certificate of licensure and therapeutic pharmaceutical agents certificate by endorsement to an individual licensed as an optometrist by another state or a Canadian province if the board determines that the other state or province has standards for the practice of optometry that are at least as stringent as the standards established under sections 4725.01 to 4725.34 of the Revised Code and the other state similarly grants licenses to practice optometry to individuals who hold certificates of licensure issued by the board individual meets the conditions specified in division (B) of this section. The certificates may be issued only by an affirmative vote of a majority of the board's members.

(B) To receive An individual seeking a certificate of licensure and therapeutic pharmaceutical agents certificate under pursuant to this section shall submit an application to the board. To receive the certificates, an applicant must meet all of the following conditions:

(1) Hold a license to practice optometry from the other state that is Meet the same qualifications that an individual must meet under divisions (B)(1) to (4) of section 4725.12 of the Revised Code to receive a certificate of licensure and therapeutic pharmaceutical agents certificate under that section;

(2) Be licensed to practice optometry by a state or province that requires passage of a written, entry-level examination at the time of initial licensure;

(3) Be licensed in good standing by the optometry licensing agency of the other state or province, evidenced by submission of a letter from the licensing agency of the other state or province attesting to the applicant's good standing;

(2)(4) Provide the board with certified reports from the optometry licensing agencies of all states and provinces in which the applicant is licensed or has been licensed to practice optometry describing all past and pending actions taken by those agencies with respect to the applicant's authority to practice optometry in those jurisdictions, including such actions as investigations, entering into consent agreements, suspensions, revocations, and refusals to issue or renew a license;

(5) Have been actively engaged in the practice of optometry, including the use of therapeutic pharmaceutical agents, for at least three years immediately preceding making application under this section;

(3)(6) Pay the nonrefundable application fees established under section 4725.34 of the Revised Code for a certificate of licensure and therapeutic pharmaceutical agents certificate;

(4)(7) Submit all transcripts, reports, or other information the board requires;

(5)(8) Participate in a two-hour instruction session provided by the board on the optometry statutes and rules of this state or pass an Ohio optometry jurisprudence test administered by the board;

(9) Pass all or part of the licensing examination accepted by the board under section 4725.11 of the Revised Code, if the board determines that testing is necessary to determine whether the applicant's qualifications are sufficient for issuance of a certificate of licensure and therapeutic pharmaceutical agents certificate under this section.

(C) If the applicant meets the conditions specified in division (B) of this section and the board has not;

(10) Not have been previously denied issuance of a license to the applicant, certificate by the board may, by an affirmative vote of a majority of its members, issue to the applicant a certificate of licensure and therapeutic pharmaceutical agents certificate.

Section 2. That existing section 4725.18 of the Revised Code is hereby repealed.